Celtic Music

Canadian Natalie MacMaster picked up her first fiddle when she was 9 years old, and she has been fiddling ever since. She is known for her unique take on Celtic music, as well as experimenting with jazz and Latin music. She will bring her high-energy sounds to Christopher Newport University's Yoder Barn Theatre in Newport News at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 671-8100.

Afternoon of Celtic music Pam and Philip Boulding, also known as Magical Strings, will perform an afternoon of Celtic music at 2 p.m. Sunday at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 765 J. Clyde Morris Blvd. The couple will use a Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer and other instruments to create their musical magic. The asking cost is $10. For details, call 596-5808. For information on the Saturday workshops, call 496-3779. Hilton Village Springfest Hilton Village will hold its fourth annual Springfest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

A pair of locally based bands specializing in Celtic music have released CDs that would make a fine St. Patrick's Day soundtrack - depending on your tastes. Coyote Run's sixth disc, "Places," puts a theatrical spin on traditional sounds. Recorded live at Williamsburg Library Theatre and at Revolution Hall in Troy, N.Y., it includes modern interpretations of nautical tunes, folk standards including "O Shenandoah" and original tunes by band leader David Doersch that explore themes of fantasy and mythology.

SPIRIT OF CARING. The Heritage Humane Society Auxiliary will hold its In the Spirit of Caring wine-tasting festival 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of Bruton Heights Educational Center, 301 First St., Williamsburg. Advance tickets are $15; tickets at the door are $20. For more information, call Gina Goad at 220-7355. All proceeds will be used to care for abandoned animals at the Heritage Humane Society in Williamsburg. THE BOOK GUYS. "The Book Guys" will be featured at the Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library annual meeting 7 p.m. Friday at the library, 515 Scotland St., Williamsburg.

An Occasion for the Arts unofficially kicks off the fall season in Williamsburg. This year's event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Merchants Square and the surrounding area. New this year is "A Literary Cafe" celebrating area authors. They'll be on hand for book signing and discussions from noon to 5 p.m. in the Community Building on North Boundary Street. Food and wine also will be available. Here's the schedule Sunday: OPENING 10 a.m. -- Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums Corps KIMBALL THEATRE Noon-12:45 p.m. -- Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts.

Whenever I've felt the need to don an ethnic identity, I've always considered myself an Italian-American, naturally. Italy is where my father came from, the source of my Italian name. All great cooking, as far as I'm concerned, begins with garlic and olive oil. I get weepy at the sound of an Italian tenor singing "O Sole Mio." I love old movies with Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren. I love simply being able to pronounce "Marcello Mastroianni." And if I could afford it, I'd own an Italian sports car. There are limits, of course.

Until Cherish the Ladies arrived on the scene, Irish music was known as a gift handed down from father to son. Welcome to the New Age. "The daughters of immigrants are following a tradition that was always passed on from father to son," said Joanie Madden, who leads the American all-female group. "Now it's being passed on to the daughters." And even after nearly 14 years of music making, they still seek parental approval. "When the critics review our albums, I really don't care," Madden said, whose group plays the Tidewater Traditional Arts Festival at Thomas Nelson Community College on Saturday.

Canadian Natalie MacMaster picked up her first fiddle when she was 9 years old, and she has been fiddling ever since. She is known for her unique take on Celtic music, as well as experimenting with jazz and Latin music. She will bring her high-energy sounds to Christopher Newport University's Yoder Barn Theatre in Newport News at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 671-8100.

Afternoon of Celtic music Pam and Philip Boulding, also known as Magical Strings, will perform an afternoon of Celtic music at 2 p.m. Sunday at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 765 J. Clyde Morris Blvd. The couple will use a Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer and other instruments to create their musical magic. The asking cost is $10. For details, call 596-5808. For information on the Saturday workshops, call 496-3779. Hilton Village Springfest Hilton Village will hold its fourth annual Springfest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

An Occasion for the Arts unofficially kicks off the fall season in Williamsburg. This year's event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Merchants Square and the surrounding area. New this year is "A Literary Cafe" celebrating area authors. They'll be on hand for book signing and discussions from noon to 5 p.m. in the Community Building on North Boundary Street. Food and wine also will be available. Here's the schedule Sunday: OPENING 10 a.m. -- Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums Corps KIMBALL THEATRE Noon-12:45 p.m. -- Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts.

SPIRIT OF CARING. The Heritage Humane Society Auxiliary will hold its In the Spirit of Caring wine-tasting festival 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of Bruton Heights Educational Center, 301 First St., Williamsburg. Advance tickets are $15; tickets at the door are $20. For more information, call Gina Goad at 220-7355. All proceeds will be used to care for abandoned animals at the Heritage Humane Society in Williamsburg. THE BOOK GUYS. "The Book Guys" will be featured at the Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library annual meeting 7 p.m. Friday at the library, 515 Scotland St., Williamsburg.

Celtic music will greet sailors aboard the USS Enterprise on Saturday as the aircraft carrier sails into port at the Norfolk Naval Station. It's not your typical patriotic fare for a crew returning home from war, but the songs speak to the honor and pride that Hampton Roads residents feel toward these men and women who have been fighting the war on terrorism for America. At least that's the feeling of Coyote Run, the Celtic folk band from Williamsburg that recorded the song, "Hampton Roads: I'm Coming Home to You."

A pair of locally based bands specializing in Celtic music have released CDs that would make a fine St. Patrick's Day soundtrack - depending on your tastes. Coyote Run's sixth disc, "Places," puts a theatrical spin on traditional sounds. Recorded live at Williamsburg Library Theatre and at Revolution Hall in Troy, N.Y., it includes modern interpretations of nautical tunes, folk standards including "O Shenandoah" and original tunes by band leader David Doersch that explore themes of fantasy and mythology.

Until Cherish the Ladies arrived on the scene, Irish music was known as a gift handed down from father to son. Welcome to the New Age. "The daughters of immigrants are following a tradition that was always passed on from father to son," said Joanie Madden, who leads the American all-female group. "Now it's being passed on to the daughters." And even after nearly 14 years of music making, they still seek parental approval. "When the critics review our albums, I really don't care," Madden said, whose group plays the Tidewater Traditional Arts Festival at Thomas Nelson Community College on Saturday.